Spring spreader



Patented June 2, 1931 REESE. n BARNHART, or" UNIoN'roWN, PENNSYLVANIA SPRING SPREADER application filed October 23, 1929.A Serial No. 401,736.

o This invention relates to springjspreaders and' more particularly to devcesof this char'- actjer' which are adapted for. useI on vehicle leaf springs of the' transverse type with' which' the Ford. automobile is@ equipped but it is; to be understood that a toolf constructed in' accordance with thisl inventionV may be foundl adapted.

` An important obj to provide, in a; manner" trs-hereinafter set forth', aj spring spreader ofi the aforementioned character which may be expeditiously' Y y applied in position on aspringjfor the pur- 15 pose of spreading the: ends thereof in a manner to bring the eyes;l provided on said ends into alignment with. the bores in: the spring perches ofjtfhicy vehicle" to permit the vinsertion.of' the shackle bolts or. to spread 'the endsA of the spring* mounted onY the vehi'cl'ein a manner' to relieve the tension ofr the" eyes" against the' shackles bolts when it is desired to remove utilized for' any purpose' for which it is ,s the latter.

Another important' Otje-ct of the linvention is to provide, in aj manner as hereinafter set forth,w a spring spreader' of the a'for'ementioned char'acter which will reinain l mounten in' ositioncnthe springafterthe eyesthereo have'k been detached from the perch-es whiil'e the' said spring is left posi-Y gage' saidspring'in s ujch a manner? as to pre-` vent the accidental displacement of tlije tool from the spring when the" saine is in'- use with conse nent injury` to the operatori. i

stili further object of the invention will become apparent fron a' study' of the following' speri'ii:ation,I taken connection with the accompanying drawings'- whro'm ect of' the" invention isJ when the saine isi like characters of reference' designate corre' sponding parts throughout the several' views, and wherein 1 Figure I is a front elevation of a spring4 spreader constructed in accordance with this invention showing the same in position on a spring, the latter being shown in dotted' lines. l Y' ,Y

Figure 2- is` a top pian view thereof.V y Figure 3 a fragmentary' longitudinal 60" sectlio'nal view` of one end portion of the too -Figure 4 is a fragmental longitudinal seotional view of the opposite end portion of the tool. Y n p 5 Referring to the drawing in detail, the` reference character 1 designates aleaf'spring; of the type provided on Ford automobiles having, at its opposite end, the eyes through which the shackle bolts ofthe ve- 7`0" hicle are disposed for connecting the opposite ends' of the spring to the spring parches. The device constituting this invention comprises an elongated tubular sleeve' fpro#` vided, at one end with anvannular flan-ge 4 75vv in the forward face of which are mounted a circular series of bearing balls 5 which pro-4 ject from' saidV forward face. A screw shaft' 6j extends longitudinallythroughthesle'eeve 3" and projects outwardly therefrom at the 8oL flan-ged ends thereon'. and has threaded thereon a nut 7 adaptedV for' engagement with the ball bearing 5. They end ofthe screw shaft which is disposed within sleeve 3 lis provided with aguidecollarS for 33 sliding' engagement with the inner walls-of saidl sleeve when thescrew shaft is moved" longitudinally therein. i Y

r A downwardly inclined' spring engagingk .i foot 9 is pivotal'l 'connected' to the free' tend' 96 of thel screw *shav t '.6 through the medium of', the' horizontally disposed `socketed shank' 10'l which' extends over theendI portion ofsaid' screw shaft and is coupled thereto through the medium of the pivot pin 11. As `seen 95' Inost clearly in Figure t'r ofthe drawings, the end` portion of theupper wall of the socleted. shank l0 is removed to permit' the foot 9 to pivot on the screw shaft'. On its opposite side and adjacent its upper end, the

' lar in construction tothe ,foot'9.

foot 9 is provided with the vertically disposed opposed lugs or flanges 12 adapted to receive the spring l therebetween.

The opposite ends of the sleeve 3 isprovided with longitudinally extending diametrically opposed ears 13 and pivotally mounted therebetween through the medium Vofthe pivot pin`14 is the shank 15 of an'- other spring 'engaging foot 16, provided with the :springv` engaging ears 17 and simiportions VV9 and 16 willthus force the oppo- 1 siteends of the spring'l outwardly and upwardly until the same are properly aligned with the'bores in the` perches of the vehicle,

aftery whichfthe shackle bolts f may kbe inserted. As the ends of the spring ymove apart the Vfoot portions 9 and 16 are permitted to 'move therewithV through the mediurn ofV their pivotal connections? with Vthe screw shaft 6 and the sleeve'3. lThe ears or lugs 12 vengage the opposite sides of the spring k1 'and'prevent lateral -movement .of theftools thereon. It will also be understood that the tool may be applied to the vehicle spring when the same is entirely detached from said vehicle, and by proper ca lv culation, be spread to the desired points or knearly so, after which the spring may be expeditiously mounted in place. Y v It is believed that the many advantagesl of a spring spreader constructed 'in accordance lwith this invention will be readily underl sleeve for shifting said shaft longitudinally Y` js'tood', and althoughlthe preferred embodiydescribedpit is to be understood that changes` in the detailsfof construction maybe had which will fall'fwithinthe scope ,of the ins..

ment 'of Vthe invention is as illustrated and vention as claimed.

What is claimediszf- 1. A spring spreader of kthe character vdescribed comprising a tubular sleeve, a screw shaft extending'v longitudinally 4into saidA sleeve and projecting from one end thereof, Vmeans. onthe Y shaft engageable with the vtherein and a pair` of spring engaging feet `on `the free end of the shaft and the opposite end "of the Vsleeevev for engaging vand spreading the Yoppositeend portions Vof said spring, said feet/disposed at an obtuse anglev with respect to the shaft andisleeve ina Inannerto parallel the oppositeend portions wofjthespring." y Y y.

I2. Afspringvsrnjeader ofthe character de-r44V aand scribed comprising a tubular sleeve, a screwV shaft extending longitudinally into said sleeve and projecting from one end thereof, means on the shaft engageable with the sleeve for shifting said shaft longitudinally therein anda pair of downwardly inclined spring engaging feet pivotally vconnected to the free end of the shaft and theopposite endof the sleeve for spreading the'end portions of the spring when the screw shaft i moved outwardly from .the sleeve.

3. A spring spreader ofthe class described comprising a tubular sleeve, a'flange on one end of the sleeve, bearing balls InountedinV the flange, al screwlshaft extending longitud- Vinally Vinto said' sleeve'and projecting from one end thereof, af'nut threaded on the screw shaft engageable with' the 'bearing balls' for shifting said shaft longitudinally in the" sleevev and a pair'fof downwardlyY inclined spring engaging feet '.pivotallyconnected to the free ends of the shaftandtheopposite end ofthe sleevefor spreading'the opposite. ends of said spring when the'shaft ismoved outwardly .fromsthe sleeve.

1. A spring spreader ofthe character 1described comprising a tubular sleeve, a flange2 on one en d of the sleeve, bearing lballs mounted in the Lflange,`a screw shaft extend-v ing longitudinally into saidsleeve and projecting froml one end thereof, a nuton the shaft engageable .with the bearing ballsfor shifting said shaft longitudinally v"in the sleeve, a pair of downwardly inclined spring engaging vfeet pivotally,l connected to the free ends l'of the shaft and the opposite end of thesleeve Iand a vpair of upwardly ex tending ears onthe marginal sides of each foot portion for engagement'with the side of the` spring for preventing lateral lrnoviement of the device thereon. l

5.v A spring spreader'of the character de;

scribed comprisingl a tubular "sleevefa pair oflongitudinally extendingears on one end of thesleeve,`,an annularlflange on the'oppoite end` ofthe sleeve, bearing ballsinounted in the flange, `a screwy shaftextending lo'ngi` tudinally linto saidI sleeve and projecting Yfrom one end thereof, said screw shaft spacedfrom the inner walls ofthe sleeve, a

guide flange onfone end of the screw. shaft within the sleeve .'an'd'for sliding engage'-V ment with the inner walls thereof, a nut Von the opposite vendof thef'shaft engtiga'geablel with Vthe bearing balls for shifting said shaft longitudinally in the sleeve, a socketed shank plvotally connected tothe outer end ofthe shaft, a downwardly inclined spring engagA-V," i

ingffoot fOrmedfintegr'alIy with' the outer end ofthe socketed shank, oppositel-y disposed upwardly extending-:carsten the mar-"v y Vginal ,portion` ofthe springjengaging foot for engagement,withl theside of thefspring forV preventing y lateral movementfof the'l foot thereon, the free kend of `said Vfoot 4 adapted for engagement with the eye of the spring at its respective end, a shank pivotally spring in a manner' to spread the same when the screw shaft is moved outwardly in the sleeve.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

REESE D. BARNHART. 

